The Bestwicks and Wints of Totley Rise
Bernard Cuthbert Wint Bestwick, wife Ida May (nee Hill) and children, circa 1923
Hi.
The photo which I hope I have uploaded is one of Bernard Cuthbert Wint Bestwick his wife Ida Mary nee Hill and his children Bernard, Jean Mary and Barbara. It may have been taken near or outside their address of 1 Wood view, Totley Rise, though my mother the older of the two girls said they lived at Totley Bottom, if such a place exists, while their cousins the Wints lived at Totley Rise. In your directories he is listed Bestwick, Bernard C. 1916 then 1922/23/25 though he became bankrupt in May 1924 and was released from bankruptcy in July 1925. He and his family then 'hit the road' in search of prosperity. Jean Mary Bestwick was born on January 23rd 1920 and as she looks about 2 - 3 in the photo I am guessing it was taken in Sheffield or Totley. Not much background visible but perhaps one of your enthusiasts can recognize if it is of Totley. Bernard Bestwick's Directory entry has the address of Wood View, Glover Rd - presumably a nearby workshop ? I have another photo which is not relevent to Totley showing Bernard Cuthbert as a young boy with his large family including his father Police Sergeant Joseph Bestwick. This would have been taken somewhere in Sheffield. If it is of any interest I will email it to you. Three Bestwicks and one Wint were active in The Sheffield Police force for much of the second half of the 19th century. Inspector William Bestwick founded the Sheffield Recreational Brass Band now known as The Unite the Union brass band. Incidentally following his bankruptcy Bernard Bestwick did find an adequate measure of prosperity in Rhyl and Barmouth in the Amusement business. Love your site,
Regards
Peter Trehearn.
We have replied briefly to Peter, mentioning the two Woodview properties that we know about in Totley Rise. The first was one of the Victorian houses on Totley Brook Road, close to its junction with Busheywood Road, an area we have seen referred to as Totley Bottom just the once, in a newspaper report from the 1900s.
The second Woodview was on or perhaps near Glover Road which was nothing more than a track until the 1920s. We know that there was a terrace of four cottages between Glover Road and Back Lane that we think were built around 1880 and demolished in the building of the Laverdene Estate. They had long gardens stretching down to Back Lane and faced Clay Wood. We think this may be where the Bestwick family lived.
We have also asked Peter if he can let us have more information and possibly photographs of the Wints to assist in our research into the history of Bricky Row. The Wints' Retail Empire, as Rony Robinson calls it, included grocers, greengrocers, confectioners, and drapers shops as well as a taxi-cab service and later a motor cycle and motor car sales outlet.
We would be delighted to hear from anyone who also has memories of the Bestwicks and Wints; who might know where the Glover Road Woodview was; or who might recognize where the photograph was taken.
Latest Update
Three Totley born Bestwicks: Barbara (1921-2008), Bernard (1916-1944) and Jean Mary (1920-2014)
Peter has subsequently sent us several further emails during which we were very sorry to learn of the death of his mother, Jean Mary Trehearn nee Bestwick. She is in several of the family photographs which Peter has sent us. We have built them into a small photo album (see below). You will need to expand the gallery to full screen size, not only to see the photographs clearer but to reduce the area covered by the captions. Some of the people are known, others are not. Some lived in Totley or Sheffield, others in Redcar and North Wales.
My mother's memories of Totley were largely of snow and moors and hiking or sledding to school through the snow. So perhaps she was old enough to attend a school before leaving. She may or may not have exaggerated hard times but the bankruptcy of your father has got to leave a frightening memory.
She would come out with little Yorkshire phrases - of questionable origin but having read the one on your site about finding something by putting your hand up a *** **** etc 2nd shelf on the right. Then I think her sayings may have come from childhood or her parents viz. Question: "Where's my comic?" Answer: "ort t'Wicker where t'water comes ort t'weir." Only recently discovered there s a waterway [road] called The Wicker in Sheffield. "What's for tea?" inevitably got the answer, "Three runs round and a jump at cupboard door." A lifetime in Wales and she and her sister were still 'Yorkshire' in spite of being born technically in Derbyshire.
You have a brilliant site [blush] and I'm sorry I haven't been able to find some unique Totley photos to send you. For interest of any rellies: one descendant of Sarah Anne Wint via Bernard Bestwick is a published author, of Horror Stories! (Simon Bestwick). Another, my late cousin David Griffiths was head of the Falcons Parachute Display Team so if you saw them in the 70s/80s you were watching family. And a third, Rebecca Trehearn, is currently causing an epidemic of weeping up and down the country playing Molly in Ghost. Came to Leeds but is not scheduled to go to Sheffield.
Regards
Peter Trehearn